Long Service Leave Calculator QLD: How to Calculate Your Entitlement Step by Step
The 8.6667-week formula, the 7-year pro-rata rules that catch most people out, and worked examples for full-time, part-time and casual employees in Queensland.
The short answer: 8.6667 weeks after 10 years
Under the Industrial Relations Act 2016, Queensland employees earn 8.6667 weeks of paid long service leave after 10 years of continuous service with the same employer. After that first 10 years, an additional 4.3333 weeks is earned for every further 5 years — meaning 13 weeks total at the 15-year mark. This is one of 11 minimum entitlements summarised in the Fair Work Information Statement every new employee should receive.
Where Queensland gets genuinely confusing is the period between 7 and 10 years. Many people assume — incorrectly — that reaching 7 years automatically unlocks some payment. It doesn't. This is the single most misunderstood point in QLD long service leave, and it costs people real money when they get it wrong.
The 7-to-10-year pro-rata trap
Between 7 and 10 years of continuous service, a pro-rata long service leave payment is only available if your employment ends for one of these specific reasons:
- Your death
- You resign because of illness, injury, incapacity, or a domestic or other pressing necessity
- Your employer dismisses you because of illness, injury, or incapacity
- Your employer dismisses you for a reason other than your conduct, capacity, or performance — such as redundancy
- Your employer unfairly dismisses you
Once you reach 10 years of continuous service, this entire criteria list becomes irrelevant. At 10+ years, any unused long service leave is paid out automatically on termination, no matter why you leave.
| Service length | Reason for leaving | Pro-rata payable? |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 7 years | Any reason | No |
| 7–10 years | Plain resignation for a new job | No |
| 7–10 years | Redundancy | Yes |
| 7–10 years | Resignation due to illness/injury/domestic necessity | Yes |
| 7–10 years | Unfair dismissal | Yes |
| 10+ years | Any reason | Yes, automatic |
Calculate your exact QLD entitlement
Enter your years of service to see your accrued leave and payout eligibility.
Worked example — full entitlement at 12 years
Business Queensland's own published example: an employee with 12 years of continuous service who hasn't taken any leave.
12 years continuous service, no leave taken
Worked example — pro-rata on redundancy at 9 years
9 years continuous service, made redundant, $1,500/week ordinary pay
Contrast — the same 9 years, but resigning for a new job
9 years continuous service, resigns to take a new job, same $1,500/week
Same length of service, same pay, completely different outcome — purely because of why the employment ended. This is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with HR before resigning if you're approaching the 10-year mark.
Casual and part-time employees
Casual employees in Queensland do accrue long service leave — all continuous service counts, calculated using total ordinary hours worked rather than a standard weekly figure. See the casual vs permanent employment comparison for how this entitlement fits alongside casual loading and other trade-offs. The formula scales the same proportional structure to hours:
Business Queensland's own example: casual/part-time, 15,600 ordinary hours over 10 years
What rate is long service leave paid at?
Long service leave in Queensland is paid at your ordinary rate of pay at the time you take the leave or receive the payout — excluding overtime. If you're paid above the relevant award rate, the higher actual rate applies. For employees with variable hours or pay, an averaging method over a reference period is typically used to determine the applicable rate.
What counts as continuous service
Continuous service in Queensland generally refers to paid working time and paid leave. Continuity is not broken by:
- Paid or unpaid leave granted by the employer, including for illness or injury
- Termination due to illness or injury followed by re-employment (subject to conditions)
- Re-employment within 3 months after a termination
- An industrial dispute or slackness in business/trade, followed by re-employment
Continuity can be affected by other unauthorised or extended absences — if your employment history includes breaks, it's worth confirming with your employer or the Queensland Office of Industrial Relations exactly how your continuous service is being calculated.
Portable long service leave — building, cleaning and community services
If you work in the building and construction, contract cleaning, or community services industries in Queensland, your long service leave may be tracked through the QLeave portable scheme instead of the standard "10 years with one employer" model. Under a portable scheme, your entitlement follows you between employers within the same industry, rather than resetting each time you change jobs. If you work in one of these industries, check your QLeave record directly rather than relying on continuous-service calculations with a single employer.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about long service leave in Queensland.
How much long service leave do you get in Queensland?
8.6667 weeks after 10 years of continuous service, plus an additional 4.3333 weeks for every further 5 years — 13 weeks total at 15 years. Use the Long Service Leave Calculator for your exact figure.
Do you get long service leave after 7 years in Queensland?
Not automatically. Between 7 and 10 years, pro-rata is only payable for specific reasons — redundancy, unfair dismissal, death, or resignation due to illness/injury/domestic necessity. A plain resignation to take a new job does not qualify at 7, 8, or 9 years.
How is Queensland long service leave calculated?
(Years of continuous service ÷ 10) × 8.6667 weeks. For example, 12 years gives (12/10) × 8.6667 = 10.4 weeks. This same proportional formula applies to both the full 10-year entitlement and qualifying 7–10 year pro-rata payments.
Can I resign and still get pro-rata long service leave in Queensland?
Only if you resign due to illness, injury, incapacity, or a domestic or other pressing necessity, and you have at least 7 years of service. A standard resignation to take another job does not qualify unless you've reached 10 years, at which point payout is automatic regardless of reason.
Do casual employees get long service leave in Queensland?
Yes — all continuous service counts, calculated using total ordinary hours worked. However, a gap of more than 3 months between engagements with the same employer can break continuity and reset the calculation.
What rate is Queensland long service leave paid at?
Your ordinary rate of pay at the time leave is taken or paid out, excluding overtime. If you're paid above the award rate, the higher actual rate applies. Variable-hours employees generally use an averaging method over a reference period.